Over 500K candidates to contest in UDA grassroots elections
By Kiprono Keileb, March 13, 2026The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) is set to hold the Repeat Phase III Grassroots Elections across 18 counties on Saturday, March 13, 2026, bringing together an unprecedented number of candidates competing for local party leadership positions.
In a statement shared on X on Friday, March 13, 2026, UDA Secretary General Senator Hassan Omar Hassan, together with the National Elections Board Chairperson, Anthony Mwaura and UDA Party Directors, shared details on how the elections will be conducted and the measures put in place to ensure transparency and efficiency.
“The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General, Sen. Hassan Omar Hassan, together with National Elections Board (NEB) Chairperson Anthony Mwaura and UDA Party Directors, addressed the media on the preparedness for the Repeat Phase III Grassroots Elections, which takes place tomorrow, Saturday, March 14, 2026,” the statement reads
Time for polls
The party pointed out that the elections will run from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at 8,819 polling centres, with candidates representing diverse groups including youth, women, farmers, professionals, religious groups, MSMEs, and traders, making it one of the largest single-day political contests in Kenya.
“The exercise is scheduled to commence at 8:00 am and conclude at 5:00 pm across eighteen (18) counties and across 8,819 polling centres. The process has attracted over 500,000 candidates who are contesting twenty (20) available positions in every Polling Centre to represent a diverse range of groups, including youth, women, farmers, religious groups, professionals, Special Interest Groups, MSMEs, and traders, alongside two members from either gender,” the statement reads.
UDA Party officials also emphasised that modern technology will be central to ensuring a smooth voting process, with thousands of electronic voting tablets deployed to manage results in real time.
“To ensure a seamless and transparent process, the party has deployed end-to-end technology, utilising 9,000 electronic voting tablets for real-time management,” the statement reads.
The elections will select 150,000 grassroots officials, giving them a direct mandate from the party members and reinforcing UDA’s extensive local political structure. The results are expected to be streamed live on the party’s official website for public access.
“A total of 150,000 grassroots officials will be elected through this exercise, drawing a direct mandate from the people and establishing the largest political architecture. The results will be streamed live on the official party website,” UDA added.